Brewing unit for preparation of beverages, and machine comprising said brewing unit

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9364115-B2
Application number	US-67193708-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 1, 2008
Priority date	Aug 10, 2007
Publication date	Jun 14, 2016
Grant date	Jun 14, 2016

Abstract

A brewing unit includes a seat capable of a rotation movement, in which a piston is slidably received. A counter-piston co-operates with the seat and the piston to define a brewing chamber. Moreover, cam members are provided to control movements of the seat, the piston, and the counter-piston. The seat, the piston and the counter-piston can assume with respect to one another at least one position of charging of a product for preparation of the beverage, at least two distinct brewing positions which correspond two different volumes of the brewing chamber, and a position for discharging the spent product.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A brewing unit for the preparation of a beverage, comprising:
a piston;
a seat having a rotation movement and being configured to slideably receive the piston for sliding movement of the piston;
a counter-piston cooperating with said seat and said piston to define a brewing chamber, the brewing chamber being defined when the counter-piston, the seat and the piston are axially aligned; and
cam members for controlling movements of said seat, said piston, and said counter-piston,
wherein said seat, said piston and said counter-piston can assume, with respect to one another, at least one charging position for charging a product for the preparation of the beverage, at least two distinct brewing positions corresponding to two different volumes of the brewing chamber, and a discharging position for discharging a spent product, and
wherein the cam members comprise fixed cam profiles fixed to a supporting structure and moveable cam profiles moveable with respect to the supporting structure.

2. The brewing unit according to claim 1 , wherein said seat is constrained to a rotating unit configured to rotate by a rotation around a rotation axis supported by the supporting structure, wherein said cam members are fixed with respect to said supporting structure, and
wherein said cam members comprise:
a first cam cooperating with said piston for controlling the sliding movement of said piston in said seat, the rotation of the rotating unit causing sliding, along said first cam, of a feeler that is fixed with respect to the piston; and
a second cam fixed with respect to said supporting structure and cooperating with said counter-piston, said second cam controlling the movement of said counter-piston in said seat, said counter-piston being provided with a feeler, which slides along said second cam.

3. The brewing unit according to claim 2 , wherein said rotating unit comprises driving members cooperating with said counter-piston.

4. The brewing unit according to claim 3 , wherein said driving members are arranged to drive said counter-piston via said rotating unit from a waiting position to the brewing positions, and to drive back said counter-piston from the brewing positions into the waiting position while the rotating unit shifts into the discharging position for discharging the spent product.

5. The brewing unit according to claim 3 , wherein said driving members comprise two opposed appendages, fixed with respect to the rotating unit and projecting from a substantially circular edge of said rotating unit, and wherein each of said two opposed appendages has a substantially rectilinear first edge, the two substantially rectilinear edges of the two opposed appendages facing one another and defining surfaces for engagement and driving of the counter-piston in opposite directions, said two opposed appendages having extensions in a radial direction that are different from one another, and one appendage of the two opposed appendages, that is set further back with respect to a direction of rotation of the rotating unit from the charging position to the brewing positions, being radially more extended than the other.

6. The brewing unit according to claim 5 , wherein each of said two opposed appendages has a second convex curvilinear edge.

7. The brewing unit according to claim 2 , wherein said first cam and said second cam are provided on at least one of two opposed plates defining the supporting structure.

8. The brewing unit according to claim 7 , wherein said first cam and said second cam are provided both on a same one of the two opposed plates.

9. The brewing unit according to claim 7 , comprising two sets of each of said first cam and said second cam, each comprising two substantially equal grooves, provided on the two opposed plates.

10. The brewing unit according to claim 2 , wherein said piston has a pin substantially orthogonal to an axis of said seat in which the piston slides, guided in a substantially rectilinear slot provided in a wall of said rotating unit and developing in a direction substantially parallel to the axis of said seat.

11. The brewing unit according to claim 10 , wherein said pin constitutes a feeler for said first cam.

12. The brewing unit according to claim 2 , wherein said counter-piston is fixed with respect to a transverse pin cooperating with driving members fixed with respect to said rotating unit.

13. The brewing unit according to claim 12 , wherein said transverse pin, which is fixed with respect to the counter-piston, constitutes a feeler cooperating with said second cam.

14. The brewing unit according to claim 2 , wherein said counter-piston is driven in movement by said rotating unit, the feeler of the counter-piston sliding along said second cam when the counter-piston is driven by said rotating unit, and wherein a single motor causing the rotation of the rotating unit and the movements of the piston and of the counter-piston.

15. The brewing unit according to claim 2 , wherein said rotating unit has a substantially cylindrical shape, coaxial to the rotation axis of the rotating unit.

16. The brewing unit according to claim 1 , wherein said cam members comprise a first set of cam profiles, which are fixed with respect to the supporting structure, and a second set of cam profiles, which rotate with respect to said supporting structure, for controlling the movements of said seat, said piston, and said counter-piston.

17. The brewing unit according to claim 16 , comprising a pair of fixed plates forming the supporting structure, each fixed plate having a set of cam profiles, fixed with respect to one another, which are substantially mirror-symmetrical, and a pair of rotating cams, set alongside said pair of fixed plates, each rotating cam having a set of rotating cam profiles, which are substantially mirror-symmetrical with respect to one another, and wherein said seat, said piston, and said counter-piston are arranged between said pair of fixed plates.

18. The brewing unit according to claim 17 , wherein said pair of rotating cams are supported by said pair of fixed plates.

19. The brewing unit according to claim 17 , wherein said pair of rotating cams are set within said pair of fixed plates.

20. The brewing unit according to claim 16 , wherein: said seat comprises a first feeler cooperating with a first fixed cam profile and a first rotating cam profile; said piston comprises a second feeler cooperating with a second fixed cam profile and a second rotating cam profile; said counter-piston comprises a third feeler cooperating with a third fixed cam profile and a third rotating cam profile; and movement of said second set of cam profiles with respect to the first set of cam profiles controlling movements of rotation and translation of the piston, the seat, and the counter-piston.

21. The brewing unit according to claim 20 , wherein said first set of cam profiles and said second set of cam profiles are configured to control: a first movement of rotation of the seat and of the piston from the charging position for charging the product to a position of alignment with the counter-piston; a second movement of mutual translation of said piston, seat, and counter-piston, along a common axis of translation, said second movement bringing the piston, the seat, and the counter-piston into the brewing positions, to which the different volumes of the brewing chamber correspond, delimited by said piston, said counter-piston, and said seat; and a third movement of rotati

Assignees

• Remo Gianni
• Fin Giuseppe
• Kalin Roland
• Koninkl Philips Nv

Inventors

• Remo Gianni
• Fin Giuseppe
• Kalin Roland

Classifications

• A47J31/3619

  Means to remove coffee after brewing · CPC title

• A47J31/3633

  Means to perform transfer from a loading position to an infusing position · CPC title

• A47J31/3638

  Means to eject the cartridge after brewing · CPC title

• A47J31/3614 Primary

  Means to perform transfer from a loading position to an infusing position · CPC title